Posted on 02/26/2014 5:21:53 PM PST by mandaladon
(Reuters) - In one of the country's most conservative states, newly hopeful Democrats measure their progress by ringing a bell.
For those working to turn Texas from Republican red to Democratic blue, it's the sound of one more volunteer agreeing to join their ranks. On a recent Saturday, phone-bank volunteers in a modest office here smacked the bell every five minutes or so, adding to the nearly 12,000 who have joined the effort.
In the past year, alumni from Democratic President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign quietly have built a grassroots army in Texas, where gun-rights advocates brandish semi-automatic rifles on city streets and pickup trucks bear "SECEDE" bumper stickers. Battleground Texas, as the group is known, is backing Democratic state Senator Wendy Davis' underdog bid for governor this November against Republican Greg Abbott, the state's attorney general.
But those involved say their larger goal - likely to take years to realize, if ever - is to make Texas as competitive in national elections as politically divided states such as Virginia and Ohio. That means identifying potentially Democratic voters, namely those in the state's booming Hispanic population, and persuading them to show up at the polls.
It is an unusually ambitious effort in U.S. politics. National parties typically measure progress in two- and four-year election cycles, with less focus on longer-term operations.
If Democrats succeed, they could upend the state's low-tax, low-regulation approach to governance and give their party a decisive advantage in presidential elections for years to come.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Clinton lost TX by 3 pts then 5 pts.
Obama lost TX by 12 pts then 16 pts.
See post 21.
Interesting. When Perry was running for re-election there was a lot of number watching going on. Had everyone that voted for Obama when he ran the first time turned out and voted for the Democrat candidate that was running against Perry (White?, Perry would have lost his re-election bid.
Republicans may continue to win in Texas but the question remains as to how conservative they are. Only 6 or 7 of the 20 or so Republican Congressmen voted against the huge budget increase. Does not bode well.
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